Mark Boudreaux This is Me

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1. 1. APCO e-Bulletin

   www.ilapco.org/ebulletin.htm - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/14/2006   Last Visited: 7/6/2006

   Mark Boudreaux, Executive Director, Terrebonne Parish (La.) Communications District/E9-1-1

2. 2. www.zetron.com

   www.zetron.com/data/site/templ - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/1/2006   Last Visited: 5/20/2008

   Despite this, according to Mark Boudreaux, Executive Director of the Terrebonne Parish E9-1-1 Communications District Terrebonne Parish was lucky.
   
   "We didn't take the direct hit that we were prepared for the night of August 28, 2005," Boudreaux says.
   ...
   "We lost about 7,000 homes in the parish when Rita pushed Gulf waters inland," Boudreaux says."During an event like this, we work two shifts of telecommunicators in lock-down mode for the duration of the event."
   
   When asked how the hurricanes affected his emergency communication operations, Boudreaux answers: "We were the only station that maintained radio communications before, during and after both storms.Between our five Zetron Series 4000 dispatching consoles and one desk-mounted, base-station radio located at our PSAP, we were able to talk to all of the emergency-response agencies in the area, including police, fire and Emergency Medical Services."
   
   "The simplicity of our Zetron radio dispatch circuit was key," adds Boudreaux."We've had it for years, and it's still going strong.It's a real work horse."
   
   The more redundant, the better:Boudreaux says that Terrebonne E9-1-1's radio circuit is based on the principle that, when it comes to emergency communications, "the more redundant, the better."That's why the Communications District utilizes two 500-foot radio towers, one in the north of the parish, and the other approximately 50 miles away in the south end, near the Gulf of Mexico.
   
   The District's PSAP, which houses and operates the Zetron Series 4000 dispatching control equipment, is located at a midpoint between the two towers.When Hurricane Rita's immense tidal surge knocked out the south tower as well as electricity and telephone lines in the south end of the parish, the north antenna, with its mirrored frequencies, remained unharmed.
   
   "Since our Zetron control equipment is programmed to automatically choose the best tower, we were able to use the north tower to dispatch information to our southern fire departments and first responders without interruption," Boudreaux says.
   
   Katrina had seriously compromised the communications infrastructure in the southern part of the parish.So when Rita hit, television, radio, landline and cell phone services were rendered useless.As a result, firefighters and other emergency-response personnel had to rely on the Communications District for more than just the usual incident-response notifications.
   
   "We had to provide first responders with information about road conditions, weather and wind conditions, and other general news broadcasts," says Boudreaux.
   
   "Rita's waters rose quickly," he continues.
   ...
   According to Boudreaux, Nextel Direct Connect® was the only other source of communication, but even that was intermittent.This contributed to the continued heavy reliance on the Communications District's radio system.
   
   "We pushed our system to the max," says Boudreaux.
   ...
   According to Boudreaux, Rabalais, with his 35 years of experience, is a master radio technician: "Ten years ago, when the District needed new radio control equipment, Rabalais' response was, ‘I won't sell you stuff that costs more and doesn't work.
   ...
   Ten years later, our Zetron equipment is still working fine," Boudreaux continues.

3. 3. www.zetron.com

   www.zetron.com/data/site/templ - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/1/2006   Last Visited: 5/20/2008

   Despite this, according to Mark Boudreaux, Executive Director of the Terrebonne Parish E9-1-1 Communications District Terrebonne Parish was lucky.
   
   "We didn't take the direct hit that we were prepared for the night of August 28, 2005," Boudreaux says.
   ...
   "We lost about 7,000 homes in the parish when Rita pushed Gulf waters inland," Boudreaux says."During an event like this, we work two shifts of telecommunicators in lock-down mode for the duration of the event."
   
   When asked how the hurricanes affected his emergency communication operations, Boudreaux answers: "We were the only station that maintained radio communications before, during and after both storms.Between our five Zetron Series 4000 dispatching consoles and one desk-mounted, base-station radio located at our PSAP, we were able to talk to all of the emergency-response agencies in the area, including police, fire and Emergency Medical Services."
   
   "The simplicity of our Zetron radio dispatch circuit was key," adds Boudreaux."We've had it for years, and it's still going strong.It's a real work horse."
   
   The more redundant, the better:Boudreaux says that Terrebonne E9-1-1's radio circuit is based on the principle that, when it comes to emergency communications, "the more redundant, the better."That's why the Communications District utilizes two 500-foot radio towers, one in the north of the parish, and the other approximately 50 miles away in the south end, near the Gulf of Mexico.
   
   The District's PSAP, which houses and operates the Zetron Series 4000 dispatching control equipment, is located at a midpoint between the two towers.When Hurricane Rita's immense tidal surge knocked out the south tower as well as electricity and telephone lines in the south end of the parish, the north antenna, with its mirrored frequencies, remained unharmed.
   
   "Since our Zetron control equipment is programmed to automatically choose the best tower, we were able to use the north tower to dispatch information to our southern fire departments and first responders without interruption," Boudreaux says.
   
   Katrina had seriously compromised the communications infrastructure in the southern part of the parish.So when Rita hit, television, radio, landline and cell phone services were rendered useless.As a result, firefighters and other emergency-response personnel had to rely on the Communications District for more than just the usual incident-response notifications.
   
   "We had to provide first responders with information about road conditions, weather and wind conditions, and other general news broadcasts," says Boudreaux.
   
   "Rita's waters rose quickly," he continues.
   ...
   According to Boudreaux, Nextel Direct Connect® was the only other source of communication, but even that was intermittent.This contributed to the continued heavy reliance on the Communications District's radio system.
   
   "We pushed our system to the max," says Boudreaux.
   ...
   According to Boudreaux, Rabalais, with his 35 years of experience, is a master radio technician: "Ten years ago, when the District needed new radio control equipment, Rabalais' response was, ‘I won't sell you stuff that costs more and doesn't work.
   ...
   Ten years later, our Zetron equipment is still working fine," Boudreaux continues.